Ground zero facts for kids

The marker at Ground Zero, Hiroshima

Ground zero is the name for the exact place where an explosion occurs. It is the place where the most damage happens. The farther away from ground zero, the less damage there is. Sometimes, people say "ground zero" about a famous explosion, like the atomic bomb in Hiroshima or the September 11 attacks. These places can have special markers at ground zero.

Images for kids

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  In mapping the effects of an atomic bomb, such as on the city of Hiroshima here, concentric circles are drawn centered on the point below the detonation and numbered at radial distances of 1,000 feet (305 meters). This point below the detonation is called "Ground Zero".

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  The former hot dog stand nicknamed Cafe Ground Zero in the Pentagon's center courtyard.

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  Aerial view of the World Trade Center site in September 2001.

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  The World Trade Center site, as it appeared in October 2004.